Saturday
May 29, 1926
Daily Kennebec journal (Augusta, Me.) — Augusta, Maine
“1926: KKK Leader Arrested for Deadly Bombing, Prohibition Battle Heats Up, and the Great Shimmy Dance Ruling”
Art Deco mural for May 29, 1926
Original newspaper scan from May 29, 1926
Original front page — Daily Kennebec journal (Augusta, Me.) — Click to enlarge
Full-size newspaper scan
What's on the Front Page

The front page is dominated by escalating battles over Prohibition as 'dry leaders' prepare to force a showdown in the Senate over tightening the Volstead Act. The 'wets' are fighting back with amendments calling for a national referendum on the liquor question, while protests continue over President Coolidge's controversial order allowing state and local police to act as federal enforcement agents. Meanwhile, a deadly bombing in Michigan has shocked the nation — Asa R. Bartlett, a Ku Klux Klan leader and township constable, was arrested for a bomb attack that killed three people, including a local supervisor and his daughter at Three Lakes Tavern. Elsewhere, a missing schooner bound for a Greenland expedition has the scientific community worried — the Effie M. Morrissey, commanded by famed Arctic explorer Captain Robert A. Bartlett (who sailed with Admiral Peary), is a week overdue in New York. The vessel was to carry the American Museum of Natural History expedition to collect specimens of narwhales, walruses, and musk oxen. Local news includes a Maine Central Railroad freight derailment near Augusta and Crown Prince Gustavus and Princess Louise of Sweden making an official visit to Washington.

Why It Matters

This page captures America in 1926 at a crossroads over Prohibition, the grand social experiment that was increasingly dividing the nation. The fierce Senate battle reflects growing public dissatisfaction with the 'noble experiment' — by this point, organized crime was flourishing, enforcement was inconsistent, and many Americans wanted a voice in whether to continue the ban on alcohol. The KKK connection to the Michigan bombing highlights the Klan's peak influence in the mid-1920s, when it had expanded beyond the South to dominate local politics in many communities. The presence of Swedish royalty in Washington shows America's growing international prominence, while the scientific expedition to Greenland represents the era's spirit of exploration and discovery that would soon culminate in Lindbergh's transatlantic flight.

Hidden Gems
  • A magistrate in New York ruled that 'the poor man has the right to see the shimmy in modern times as well as the more fortunate rich,' dismissing charges against nine chorus performers and declaring the only difference between a Broadway shimmy and an Eighth Avenue one was '$5.50' in ticket prices
  • You could drive home a brand-new Essex Coach for just '$195.00 down payment' with the balance spread over 18 months — the full price was $834 fully equipped
  • A 1924 Ford Sedan was being sold used for '$125.20 down, balance $19 a month' while a 1922 Ford Tudor Sedan cost '$110.00 down, balance $16 a month'
  • The Johnson House in Gardiner, Maine advertised a full chicken dinner daily from 12 to 2 PM for exactly '$1.00' and broiled chicken or steak evening dinners for '$1.50'
  • Memorial Day services at Bowdoin College would honor alumni who died 'in every war in which America has been involved from the War of 1812 through the World War'
Fun Facts
  • Captain Robert A. Bartlett commanding the missing Morrissey was a legendary Arctic navigator who had sailed with Admiral Peary on two polar expeditions — he would later become one of the most celebrated ice pilots in history, making over 100 voyages to the Arctic
  • The University of Southern California's track team mentioned as favorites had 13 qualifying places for the intercollegiate championships — this was during USC's early dominance in track and field that would make them a collegiate powerhouse
  • The Northern Baptist Convention battle mentioned reflects the larger Fundamentalist-Modernist controversy that split American Protestantism in the 1920s, the same theological divide that fueled the Scopes 'Monkey Trial' the previous year
  • Essex Motors, whose car is advertised for $834, was actually a subsidiary of Hudson Motor Company — both companies would eventually be absorbed by American Motors Corporation in the 1950s automotive consolidation
  • The mention of Champion Spark Plugs working well in 'the King's back' refers to the popular advertising slogan of the era — Champion had become the dominant spark plug manufacturer by focusing on racing and performance applications
Contentious Roaring Twenties Prohibition Prohibition Crime Violent Politics Federal Transportation Maritime Exploration
May 28, 1926 May 30, 1926

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